Mawé people
The Satere-Mawe (or Maue) is an indigenous tribe located in the Brazilian Amazon, with an estimated population of about 7,000.[1] The Satere are most famous for the cultivating and extracting process of guarana.
The Mawe share little contact with the outside world. The Mawe language belongs to the Tupian family.
Contents |
[edit] Initiation rites
The Satere-Mawe people use intentional bullet ant stings as part of their initiation rites to become a warrior.[2] The ants are first rendered unconscious by submerging them in a natural sedative and then hundreds of them are woven into a glove made out of leaves (which resembles a large oven mitt), stinger facing inward. When the ants regain consciousness, a boy slips the glove onto his hand. The goal of this initiation rite is to keep the glove on for a full ten minutes. When finished, the boy's hand and part of his arm are temporarily paralyzed because of the ant venom, and he may shake uncontrollably for days. The only "protection" provided is a coating of charcoal on the hands, supposedly to confuse the ants and inhibit their stinging. To fully complete the initiation, however, the boys must go through the ordeal a total of 20 times over the course of several months or even years.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.socioambiental.org/pib/epienglish/satere/satere.shtm
- ^ Backshall, Steve (6 January 2008). "Bitten by the Amazon". The Times (London). http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/destinations/latin_america/article3131030.ece. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
- ^ YouTube - Incredible Ritual With Hundreds of Poisonous Bullet Ants
[edit] Further reading
- Alvarez, Gabriel O. Pós-dradiviano: parentesco e ritual. : sistem de parentesco e rituais de afinabilidade os sateré-mawé. Série Antropologia (Brasília, Brazil), no.403. Brasília: Departamento de Antropologia, Universidade de Brasília, 2006.
- Gordon, Nick, Hildy Rubin, and Jessica Siegel. Gremlins Faces in the Forest. Nature video library. South Burlington, VT: WNET/Thirteen, 1998. (video - Satere Mawe customs involving marmosets)
- Lattas, Andrew. "Anthropological Knowledge, Secrecy and Bolivip, Papua New Guinea: Exchanging Skin." Ethnos 74.3 (2009): 433-435.
- Lorenz, Sônia da Silva. Sateré-Mawé: os filhos do guaraná. Coleção Projetos, 1. São Paulo, SP, Brasil: Centro de Trabalho Indigenista, 1992.
- Salzano F. M., T.A. Weimer, M.H.L.P. Franco, and M.H. Hutz. "Demography and Genetics of the Sateré-Mawé and their Bearing on the Differentiation of the Tupi Tribes of South America." Journal of Human Evolution 14.7 (1985): 647-655.
- Vilaça, Aparecida, and Robin Wright. Native Christians: Modes and Effects of Christianity Among Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. Vitality of indigenous religions. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate, 2008.
- Uggé, Henrique. Mitología sateré-maué. Quito, Ecuador: Ediciones ABYA-YALA, 1991.
[edit] External links
 |
This article related to an ethnic group is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
